Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Erin Brockovich Blasts U.S. Regulation of Toxic Chemicals – Scientific American

If you ask me, it’s an ass-backwards system. For the chemical we’re talking about, reports showed in the 1960s that it was causing liver cancer in rabbits and dogs, and it was a contaminant we needed to keep an eye on. But instead of understanding what this chemical was doing in the environment, they set a guideline of 400 parts per trillion.

Then the EPA did a study and took a very long time to reach the conclusion that they finally reached in 2016, which is that this causes liver disease and thyroid cancer and a plethora of other illnesses. But I think these chemicals should be studied before they even get into the marketplace, before they’re ever put into the water system or the public is exposed to them over long periods of time.

Source: Erin Brockovich Blasts U.S. Regulation of Toxic Chemicals – Scientific American

Au coeur de la forêt tropicale ! – “La Magie de l’Amazonie Les aventures de Meromi, une fille Yanomami”

In the heart of the tropical forest! – “The Magic of the Amazon The Adventures of Meromi, a Yanomami Girl”

Barbara Crane Navarro

illustration tirée de “La Magie de l’Amazonie Les aventures de Meromi, une fille Yanomami”

Un cadeau de Noël cette année, nous avons lu des parties de ce conte à haute voix pendant plusieurs soirées. Notre fils de 8 ans était impatient d’entendre ce qui allait suivre. Ce sujet était nouveau pour lui et il était fasciné par l’apprentissage des rituels des chamans, des traditions avec des plantes et des détails de la vie des Yanomami en Amazonie. Il adorait les plantes et les animaux qui parlaient et se réjouissait des noms de tous les personnages (il adorait rouler les noms dans sa bouche longtemps après que l’histoire ait été racontée).

L’histoire est soutenue par de belles illustrations intrigantes et la conception graphique très originale du livre. C’est un conte qui doit être entre les mains d’un plus grand nombre d’entre nous, jeunes et moins jeunes!

Évaluation rédigée par J. Harris

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‘Horrific… Nuts’: Republican Tears Into Josh Hawley for Opposing Biden Win Certification

“Politically for them it might be great for their base, for their fundraising, for things like that but, nationally, it’s horrific,” Riggleman told MSNBC. “I find it amazing that right now we have Republicans that are actually objecting to Federalism and wanting sort of this overthrow or this sort of ‘let’s throw out the electoral voters, let’s ignore the states, we’ve already litigated this and let’s move forward.’ And the only thing I can say is it’s nuts.” Source: ‘Horrific… Nuts’: Republican Tears Into Josh Hawley for Opposing Biden Win Certification

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues after Austin bans late dining for New Year’s | The Texas Tribune (failed leader who wants more to die slams Mayor Adler and Judge Brown who are trying to save their citizens)

“Mayor Adler and Judge Brown do not have the authority to flout Gov. [Greg] Abbott’s executive orders by shutting down businesses in Travis County and our state’s capital city,” said Paxton in a statement. “The fact that these two local leaders released their orders at night and on the eve of a major holiday shows how much contempt they have for Texans and local businesses.” Source: Texas AG Ken Paxton sues after Austin bans late dining for New Year’s | The Texas Tribune

Texas coronavirus vaccine rollout leaves some questions unanswered | The Texas Tribune

When Janell Simmons heard that some vulnerable Texans were now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, she eagerly called around to schedule an appointment. But after hours on the phone with more than a dozen health care providers in Houston, she said she was unsuccessful.

Simmons’ two primary care physicians told her they didn’t receive a shipment of the vaccine. A call to an H-E-B pharmacy got her a prerecorded message informing callers that the store had only enough doses to vaccinate front-line health care workers. And Memorial Hermann, the largest not-for-profit health system in southeast Texas, told Simmons that its allotment was reserved for current patients.

“I’m so disappointed and disillusioned right now that I will not get the vaccine,” said Simmons, who is 61 and has a qualifying medical condition. “The state of Texas is allowing the providers to make their own rules about how they’re going to administer their vaccine.”

While all eligible Texans under the first phase of the rollout can now receive the vaccine, doses remain in short supply and vague messaging from state health officials has left Texans who are desperate to get vaccinated without clear answers.

Hellerstedt released a similar message last week in a letter to providers. In it, he urged those with vaccine doses not to wait until everyone in the 1A group had been vaccinated before moving on to the 1B group.

And Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday accused providers of not moving quickly enough to administer vaccine doses. (Failed leader blaming others?)

Source: Texas coronavirus vaccine rollout leaves some questions unanswered | The Texas Tribune

Comparative efficacy and safety of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of COVID-19: A systematic review and network meta-analysis – Docwire News

we found that anti-inflammatory agents (corticosteroids, tocilizumab, anakinra, and IVIG), convalescent plasma, and remdesivir were associated with improved outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Source: Comparative efficacy and safety of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of COVID-19: A systematic review and network meta-analysis – Docwire News

Bosnia: Migrants return to burnt tent camp as relocation fails | News | DW | 31.12.2020 (unacceptable – they need help now!)

Migrants walk back to the Lipa camp

Hundreds of migrants in Bosnia were left out in the cold for another night as attempts to relocate them after a blaze destroyed their camp failed.

The migrants were supposed to be taken from the Lipa camp in northwestern Bosnia to a former army barracks in the central town of Konjic on Tuesday. But protests by the town’s residents and disagreement among local authorities meant the migrants ended up spending about 24 hours in evacuation buses.

On Wednesday afternoon they were eventually told to disembark and return to the now-empty camp.

“The buses are leaving the Lipa area and the migrants have been left behind,” Nermin Kljajic, the Interior Ministry chief in Unsko-Sanska county, told news portal Klix.ba.

Source: Bosnia: Migrants return to burnt tent camp as relocation fails | News | DW | 31.12.2020

Operation Warp Speed Behind Schedule: Vaccinating Americans Could Take 10 Years at Current Pace : US News : Latin Post – Latin news, immigration, politics, culture

Operation Warp Speed did not appear to be moving fast enough as a jarring analysis found that it could take almost 10 years to inoculate all Americans at current pace.

Source: Operation Warp Speed Behind Schedule: Vaccinating Americans Could Take 10 Years at Current Pace : US News : Latin Post – Latin news, immigration, politics, culture